best practice gis education

8/14/2019 Best Practice GIS Education

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Table of Contents

What Is GIS? 1

GIS for Education 3

4-H Clubs Inventory Trees in Hillsboro, Oregon, and

Park Conditions in St. Louis, Missouri 5

The Learning Is Exponential 13

Arkansas Students Trek the Land to Make a Difference forEmergency Services 17

Rhode Island Girl Scouts Embark on a GIS Adventure 23

Students Locate Old Aqueduct Using Geospatial Tools 27

A Fun Way to Promote Geography 33


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GIS for Education

In the struggle to help students of all ages find their way in life, teachers ussingle tool can ever accomplish all things for all students. But every now anappears that can change the course of education for many students of all anew ways of thinking, seeing, and working. A GIS is such a tool.

GIS is as dynamic as the teachers and youth group leaders who use it to eexperience. In this document, underlying strategies are explored showing teducators have implemented GIS in the curriculum.


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4-H Clubs Inventory Trees in Hillsboro, Ore

Park Conditions in St. Louis, MissouriMaking the Environment Better, One Clover at a Time

The small green clover modestly placed in the corner of every 4-H membesymbolizes more than involvement; it epitomizes the dedication, motivationnecessary to make a positive change in communities across the United Sta4-H Club's countless endeavors include projects that improve environmentcommunities, as well as national parks. Disappearing greenery and dwindl

main focus of members as they expand their knowledge of community issu

In 2003, the National 4-H Program created the GIS GPS leadership team tin promoting the use of GIS and related technologies in various 4-H progra"learn by doing" approach. The programs develop skills in communication,citizenship, leadership, teamwork, and record keeping, as well as specific cexpertise and skills. The groups use a variety of technology, including ESRtheir vision of a better future a reality.

From climbing them as a kid to enjoying their environmental benefits as anintegral part of any community. The health of a community's urban forest dmaintenance (including removal, as necessary) and planting new trees. ThDepartment in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, is developing an Urban Forestto address these issues.

"The city is working with 4-H coordinator Lisa Conroy and the local 4-H GISyouth to develop a street inventory," says Doug Miller, Hillsboro city planne

an important first step to understand what we have in the urban forest in ormanage it."

City of HillsboroPlanning Department,

Washington County,Oregon

City of HillsboroPlanning Department,

Washington County,Oregon


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Once the data collection stage is complete, Miller and the 4-H members wicreate easy-to-read maps that will help the city qualify for Tree City USA, a

by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the United StateAgriculture Forest Service and the National Association of State Forestersprovides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recocommunity forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities. Hillsboro sean important resource to help organize city tree management and educatioThe project results will also help the city identify potential hazards and planneeds.

"This is an example of a terrific community partnership and a win-win situa

says Conroy. "The city needed help with data gathering and processing. Thfrom learning about geospatial technologies and careers in a real-world procommunity benefits from having trees better selected and maintained."

The group had support from several community sponsors: Hewlett-PackarHillsboro School District, Intel Corporation and Foundation, Oregon State UService, PGE Foundation, the Washington County 4-H Leaders Associatio


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The unique landscape of Forest Park, Missouri, boasts 1,293 acres of diverse prestigious monuments, and historical buildings. The park, open to the public s

of the largest urban parks in the United States, attracting more than 12 million With large numbers of visitors comes the problem of facility and land managemof the park need repaired signage and improved trailsa daunting task for theDepartment of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry given that it maintains 150 otheHowever, to a group of 330 4-H teens and adult leaders from 43 states, as weKorea, the task was just what they were looking for. Frank Wideman, a naturaengineer with the University of Missouri, eagerly helped organize the 4-Hers.

Forest Park, St. Louis,Missouri

Forest Park, St. Louis,Missouri


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service project has always been a part of the past technology conferences"With the support of ESRI and the interest the youth had in GPS and techn

was decided that a mapping project would be the service project."To begin the project, the large group broke into teams and scattered througtechnology in hand. The teams, consisting of four to eight people each, useGPS units, and clipboards to gather data about the condition of park signsaround picnic sites, parking zones, and statues and monuments. Team metheir condition, material, distance from the curb, any obstructions in their welements that would give the St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation, anecessary information to make improvements. "All the information the park

recorded on data sheets that allowed even the low-resource groups an oppprocess home and adapt it to local projects," says Wideman.


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The data collection took one-half day of the three-day conference. For the remevent, a group of 4-Hers learned to incorporate the data and photos into a GIS

ArcGIS technology. Team members brought their data collection sheets into ththe data into a Microsoft Access database. The resulting data set was importeddatabase, then put into ArcView. The completed project was handed over to thDepartment of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry to add to the Forest Park plan.


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The Learning Is ExponentialUsing a Community-Based Approach

Mark Ericson's students at the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) have mappeboundaries and participated in wetlands restoration and environmental proprogram that uses a new approach to motivating students. The CommunityModel (CBEM) strengthens learning by involving students in real-world issand science skills. The program helps students become involved in their coencourages them to continue their education and return home to work.

Mark Ericson has helped design theCommunity Based Education Model-based curriculum used by the

Santa Fe Indian School.


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"When students wade through a stream trying to get a clear GPS signal to boundaries, the learning is substantial; when the data is then realized in a mapping database, the learning is exponential," says Ericson.

He adds that students also discover new things about themselves such asunderstand and apply technical concepts, communicate these ideas to othsetting, and contribute as citizens to their communities. "Mark's use of GISstudents the opportunity to learn in high school at the highest level in termstechnology," says CBEM community liaison Matthew S. Pecos. "The commbenefit of the skills and knowledge these students have acquired."

"The kids are proud of what they can do, they are lifting their heads up highthey have a skill that many other people do not have, and they have progrebecause of that," says Theresa Chavez, past CBEM coordinator and curreschool coordinator. Many students have worked summer jobs doing commsuch as mapping utility manholes and georeferencing house addresses.

As a measure of the school's success, in 1987 the United States Departmethe school as one of 270 outstanding secondary schools in America. Of thegraduating each year, about 90 percent of them plan to go on to attend pos

(Reprinted from the Fall 2006 issue of GIS Educator)


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Arkansas Students Trek the Land to Make

for Emergency ServicesThe Environmental and Spatial Technology Program

The rural area of northwestern Arkansas boasts a wooded, mountainous temany to call the region home, making it the sixth fastest growing region in However, the very elements that make the area appealing also contribute tcitizens face in a time of emergency or disaster. Boone, Carroll, Searcy, anCounties make up the 3,000-square-mile region, and all are inhabited by c

dependent on helicopters to evacuate the area during a natural disaster orIn turn, the helicopters are dependent on a 10,000-square-foot unobstructelanding zone. With vast stretches of land that include lakes, rivers, and hillsemergency workers know the location of usable helicopter landing zones.

Carroll County recognized the need for all public safety departments to havand current data on all of the available helicopter landing zones in the areathese departments already had their own coordinates for local zones, therein their information. The Carroll County 911 Department turned to Eureka Sin Eureka Springs, Arkansas, for help. Students in the school's EnvironmenTechnology (EAST) program were eager to help the county identify and malanding zones. The EAST Initiative is a nonprofit organization, operating inschools in seven states, that emphasizes using advanced technology applcommunity service projects. Led by Mila Powell, EAST facilitator, at EurekaSchool, the Eureka Springs EAST students excitedly put their skills to workThe program, which covers an array of technical disciplines, included GIS/prepared the students for the rigorous emergency evacuation landing zonegrant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the additional forces ostudents in Alpena, Fayetteville, and St. Joe, the students embarked on thenorthwestern Arkansas land armed with Trimble GPS units and ArcView an


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This is the completed map the Eureka Springs EAST group gave to the emergency persoCarroll County: Slope data is included to give an idea of where theflat areas are (slopes 05

which are ideal for helicopter landing sites).

"Once we started the project, we wanted a lot of sharing of data as well as shaamong the students " says Powell "There were different lists of landing zones


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This map details the helicopter landing sites for Searcy County as created by the St. Joe EAST studenproject consisted offive monthly conferences funded by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation that en

students from the four schools to help each other.


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Upon completion, they printed 8- by 11-inch and 2- by 3-foot versions of thand police departments, the Carroll County 911 Department, and the Air Ev

Nine months after the Eureka Springs and St. Joe EAST students steppedsurrounding wilderness, they completed their county map. As a result of thcounty's emergency vehicles contain hard-copy maps of each landing zonename of the zone, latitude and longitude readings, and major roads and higLanding zone wall maps for each county enable emergency services persolanding zones during emergency situations. Future plans include a Web sitthe landing zones for the four counties, giving local residents necessary infclosest landing zones in their area in the event of a medical emergency or

"This project allowed kids to work with other kids outside their normal cliqu"They learned to appreciate and understand kids from other towns, which wfrom the beginning. There was also a lot of technical sharing and interpersThe students who knew more about GIS/GPS would guide the other studeprocesses."

The impact of the project has already been felt by emergency workers. "In the county fair and a firefighter came up to me and told me that just last we

emergency and they used our map to find a landing zone," says Powell. "Wa person's life. I felt fantastic, and the kids were thrilled to know we had suincredible."

The success of the project has prompted the community to enlist the EASTimportant projects. The fire marshal recruited the Eureka Springs EAST stucity get FireWise certification. The students were asked to provide assessmmaps, which included houses, roads, and other information required by the

program is preparing the students for a future where they'll be good, produPowell. "They get to pick the technology and project they work on, as long community. It can be a lot of work, but it is worth it when it is for a good cau


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Rhode Island Girl Scouts Embark on a GISBringing Together Geography, Environmental Concerns, th

Science

Girl Scouts of America was founded in 1912 with the purpose to help girls echaracter and gain skills for success in the real world. Since that time, the molded itself to the needs and requirements of the changing world. With itsgirls and instilling strong values, leadership abilities, social conscience, andself-worth, it is inevitable that teaching technology has become an importa

Scouts' goals.


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the badge we proposed was so unique compared to other badges and it is higwith Girl Scouts of America's science and technology initiatives."

The girls of Troop 207 clearly demonstrated that given a small amount of instruGPS can be part of the scout's portfolio for technology and orienteering skills. system is a perfect place to introduce GIS and GPS technology to young girls be otherwise exposed to its importance. The technology brings together the Gthemes of geography, the environment, outdoors, and science, which become society develops under the influence of technology.

(Reprinted from the Winter 2004/2005 issue of ArcNewsmagazine)


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Students Locate Old Aqueduct Using Geos

Editor's note: High school students in Santa Barbara, California, mapped thundocumented water system of one of California's missions. These studenEnvironmental and Spatial Technologies (EAST) class at Santa Ynez Valleuse GIS, GPS, and other technologies to solve real problems.

In September 2003, Mike Loehr, who helped Mission Santa Ins obtain its Landmark District status, asked if members of the EAST class could map aaqueduct that was built to supply water to the mission. Little was known ab

water system and uncovering it was becoming an increasingly challengingconstruction projects in the area. Most of the sites that were known had bewhen new homes and access roads were built.


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The high school students accepted the challenge and began by researching thusing materials in archives, databases, and libraries. Student teams acquired the known aqueduct sites using GPS. Back in the classroom, student team leaexpertise began extrapolating the location of the aqueduct using ArcView and Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps. Although students were using Afirst time, they were able to successfully plot points and use elevation data.

Students believed that the Alamo Pintado Creek was the source of the missioncreek runs year-round; was listed in old Spanish documents about the missionof Chumash Indian settlements and, later, Santa Ynez Valley towns.

A buried section of the aqueduct, previously unknown, was discovered becauscaused a small arroyo to form and pieces of the aqueduct washed down to therock and fragments of mortar and tile, students discovered where the aqueducPintado Road. These sites, located at elevations between 490 and 500 feet, wArcView.

Back in the EAST classroom, Tim Manchester, Erin Gnekow, and Clay GarlandGlendinning, drew a buffer delineating the 500-foot contour line overlaid onto atopographic map to help visualize the path of the aqueduct and locate the dam

Using this data, students extrapolated a possible route. All known sites fell on obtaining permission to work on the site, the class dug a small trench on a secwest of Alamo Pintado Road. They found a portion of the aqueduct in the locatHowever, a troubling fact remained. The aqueduct's route came near the only water, Alamo Pintado Creek, far upstream of any known aqueduct features.


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Students buffered a 500-foot contour line overlaid onto a current USGS topographhelp visualize the path of the aqueduct and locate the dam.

The students, guided by teachers Ronald "Chip" Fenenga and Kim Merz, scollecting reference information from journals, texts, photographs, etchings

solve this mystery, the class obtained a copy of a 1905 USGS topographic500-foot contour line running through Alamo Pintado Creek nearly 5,100 femission. This would have allowed water to flow to the mission using the un"That was so coolgetting that imageas I could see the pieces falling to


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The students still wanted to map the complete water system including the damrains in the winter of 20042005, the students began a second search for the othe 21 missions in California, Mission Santa Ins was the only one for which thdam was not known. "We wanted to finish the story we started last year," said

"This is the best example of the use of historicalresearch, geophysics, and archaeology to solve a

particular problem that I have EVER seen!"

Dr. Robert Hoover, PCalifornia Polytechnic State University


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All known sections of the aqueduct had elevations between 490 and 500 festudents used the contour lines and the elevation information for the aquedthe dam site should be located. Six students, armed with GPS units and cathe creek bed in March 2005 near a housing development to find the dam. Manchester, and Greg Bridgeman found the dam and collected images andA few low sections of cement and river rock are all that remain of the dam. of the dam lies buried beneath almost 200 years' accumulation of sedimen

"You can't imagine how much work these kids put into this and the level of display in problem solving," noted Fenenga, who helped obtain funding for"It is also the only class I know where you have such diversity. Many of the

Sacramento for advanced training from CAST [Center for Applied Special Treally are a credit to their community and school."



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A Fun Way to Promote Geography

Can you name the world's most spoken primary language?

Which country is the largest consumer of oil?

What is the current U.S. population?

These and other questions were posed by the 2006 National Geographic-RGeographic Literacy to test the geographic knowledge of a randomly selec18- to 24-year-olds designed to represent young adults across the United S

highlighted the limited geographic knowledge young Americans possess.

A new program from the National Geographic Society will offer today's youresource to increase their geographic knowledge and embrace the world asponsoring a Web site, My Wonderful World, that promotes geographic awin grades K12 and provides tools for teachers and parents.

"Geography matters to everyone, whether they consciously realize it or notDangermond, ESRI president. "When we better understand how nature, pe

relate, we can make better decisions. ESRI's mission is to build software ththe patterns, find the relationships, and understand more clearly this wondESRI is proud to support the National Geographic Society's My Wonderful efforts to improve geographic literacy among our nation's youth."

My Wonderful World is at the heart of the campaign. The site's resources hunderstand the world around them. It suggests outdoor family activities; prgeography games and online adventures for kids and teenagers; and prov

materials for educators, global IQ tests, and other tools.

"Geographic illiteracy impacts our economic well-being, impacts our relationations and the environment, and isolates us from our world," said John Fa


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In addition to ESRI, many businesses, nonprofit groups, and education leadersthe campaign. Sponsors include 4-H, American Federation of Teachers, AnheuAdventure Parks, Asia Society, Association of American Geographers, CommitDevelopment, Council on Competitiveness, iEARN-USA, Lindblad, National BaAssociation, National Council for Geographic Education, National Council of LaCouncil for Social Studies, National Parent Teacher Association, Sesame WorNations Foundation, and the World Affairs Councils of America.

To learn more about the My Wonderful World program and to start taking advafeatures, visit www.mywonderfulworld.org.



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